Biography about glaciers
As glaciers are formed, how glaciers and an experienced traveler and first -man, setting off in their first cruise, are formed, draw pictures of the upcoming expedition in the imagination. The anticipation of the new and unusual - what could be more pleasant. Let's dream together! Imagine that you are standing on the nose of the expeditionary vessel.
It maneuverates in the open ocean and bays. You see the snowy mountains, polar deserts and majestic icebergs shimmering in the sun. Around the ice. Changing the texture, shape and color, it fills everything and forms bewitching landscapes. The nature of the glaciers on a trip to the Arctic and Antarctic you will see multi -kilometer glaciers that go far beyond the horizon.
How are these ice mountains, frozen rivers and sheer cliffs form? Rise - in sunlight. In tropical latitudes, the surface of the ocean is very heated, turning into steam. He is going to clouds that are condensed to ice crystals at low temperatures. These clouds gradually migrate into the polar regions, bringing with them abundant snowfalls and hail. There can be so many snow that it does not even melt over the summer.
Then in winter the old snow cover will be under a new layer of precipitation. The cycle can be repeated for years, as a result of which a dense “pillow” is formed from snow. Under the pressure of the snow-linen mass, the crystals in the lower layers are combined and compacted. There is almost no air left between them, and an ice layer is formed. Over time, his mass becomes so large that he sets in motion.
So the glaciers are formed. The cover glaciers of the Arctic and Antarctic in cold climate Glachers can cover huge areas, taking the shape of the dome. This is as much as 36 km2, which is comparable to the area of half of the territory of Latvia. A similar picture on most islands of the archipelago Earth of Franz Joseph. Such a scale is a characteristic feature of cover glaciers.
The largest clusters of ice on the planet were formed during the last ice age. In the ice shields of Greenland and Antarctica, ice is still stored, whose age is 12 thousand years. The thermal energy of the Sun goes a long way - from the small drops of water vapor to snowy sediments striving up. Over the years of layering of snow, they turn into a giant glacier.
Under the influence of gravity, he slides off the mountains with an average speed m per year. A dense ice mass drives stones and rocks, leaving behind the extended valleys and cavities. Where are the icebergs from where are glaciers that descend into the sea. They are called shelf. They can partially rely on the bottom, and at depth M pass into a floating state.
As a result, a single cover is formed, which is able to fetter the bays and bays. The front edge of the glacier usually rises to M above the water, forming a massive sheer wall. Sometimes huge pieces of ice of different sizes break off from her. So the icebergs are born. Icebergs can travel for a long time in the vastness of the ocean and swim for thousands of kilometers from their glacier.
They make air floating in the structure of ice. The larger and heavy part of the iceberg is under water and holds it like a float. But when it tackles, and the upper part begins to outweigh, the iceberg turns over and continues its way. Until it dissolves in the ocean under the influence of the sun and warm currents. A glacier is a living organism.
It grows and moves in space. But all these processes go slowly and can last hundreds and thousands of years. In the expeditionary cruise with the polar trip club, you can stop the moment to see with your own eyes how an ice fairy tale comes to life in the expanses of the Arctic and Antarctic.